Event type: Festival

Outer Waves Festival 2026

Liverpool’s underground music and arts festival OUTER WAVES is returning to Liverpool’s North Docks at Invisible Wind Factory and Make CIC on May 23rd & 24th 2026!  Dedicated to experimental, avant-garde, and underground music from across the world, the festival platforms international artists alongside commissioned local talent, with an integrated visual art programme and a programme of events extending beyond the main stages including workshops, artist interviews & panel discussions.

HeadlinersHeadlining the festival are ØXN (feat. Radie Peat of Lankum) and Dame Area, joined by Jarboe (Swans) feat. Thor Harris and Joy Von Spain and the world premiere of HAND TO MOUTH TO — a newly reimagined live performance commissioned by Outlands Network and Full of Noises, collaboratively composed and performed by Keeley Forsyth and long-time collaborator Matthew Bourne.

Final Lineup AdditionsThe final wave of artists joining the bill includes HHY & the Kampala Unit, Elspeth Anne, a Lesser Version, Those Holy feat. Ly Nguyěn, Jacques Malchance, and veve, joining a bill that already includes the incendiary ritual electronics of Lord Spikeheart, the Okinawan-Jamaican dub and traditional fusion of Waq Waq Kingdom, and much more besides.The festival also presents specially commissioned new works from local artists Coby Obi, S. Fearon, Quieting (in partnership with Music Futures), and Tomas Edgar (Dada Fest). The weekend will also feature panel talks, workshops, and afterparties.

Visual Art ProgrammeComplementing the music programme, OUTER WAVES 2026 features an expansive visual art programme transforming the spaces of the North Docks. Works will be presented by Kromavision, Sam Wiehl, Freddy Francke, Jasmine Murphy, and more, bringing immersive and site-specific installations that extend the festival’s sensory world beyond the stage.An International FestivalWith artists travelling from across Europe, Africa, Asia, and beyond, OUTER WAVES 2026 is a truly international gathering. The festival’s lineup reflects a genuinely global underground, connecting Liverpool’s North Docks to experimental and avant-garde communities worldwide. Alongside the music and visual art, the festival will present panel talks, workshops, and afterparties across the weekend.

Full Line UpØXN (feat. Radie Peat of Lankum)Dame AreaJarboe (Swans) feat. Thor Harris and Joy Von SpainKeeley Forsyth & Matthew Bourne present HAND TO MOUTH TOHHY & the Kampala UnitElspeth Annea Lesser VersionJacques MalchanceveveLord SpikeheartWaq Waq Kingdoma.P.a.t.TCarmel SmickersgillDale De Saint Paul & Mariam RezaeiDomestic PartnersE the Artist (Nyahh Records)GermanagerGY!PAHAALHedgling (Nyahh Records)HaressKarl D’SilvaLuce MawdsleyMincemeatMohammad Syfkhan (Nyahh Records)MugstarUltan O’Brien (Nyahh Records)Coby Obi *S. Fearon *Quieting *Those Holy feat. Ly Nguyěn *Tomas Edgar (Dada Fest) ** Commissioned local artist

 

WoWFEST: Rebecca Solnit – The Beginning Comes After the End

Join internationally acclaimed writer, historian and activist Rebecca Solnit for a special online event exploring her powerful new book- The Beginning Comes After the End: Notes on a World of Change. 

In this urgent and illuminating work, Solnit argues that while climate breakdown, democratic erosion and the rise of authoritarian politics dominate the headlines, they do not tell the whole story. Beneath the turbulence, she traces what she calls a “slow revolution”: the patient, persistent work of movements and communities reshaping the world in ways reactionary forces cannot tolerate. 

With clarity and moral force, Solnit explores how change often begins quietly before it becomes visible; how despair narrows our political imagination; and how the myth of inevitability serves those invested in the status quo. Drawing on decades of activism and feminist and climate justice thought, she reframes hope not as naïve optimism, but as a disciplined commitment to possibility. 

In this online conversation, Solnit will reflect on contested futures, collective action and why new worlds are already emerging – even in moments of backlash. 

A timely and galvanising event with one of the most influential public thinkers of our time. 

Rebecca Solnit is the author of more than twenty-five books, including Orwell’s Roses, which was shortlisted for the 2022 Orwell Prize for political writing, Recollections of My Non-Existence, which was longlisted for the 2021 Orwell Prize for Political Writing and shortlisted for the 2021 James Tait Black Award, The Faraway Nearby, Wanderlust, A Field Guide to Getting Lost, A Paradise Built in Hell and Hope in the Dark. She is also the author of Men Explain Things to Me and many essays on feminism, activism, social change, hope, and the climate crisis, and writes regularly for the Guardian. 

A longtime climate and human rights activist, she serves on the boards of Oil Change International and Third Act. Her newsletter of essays and analyses can be found at meditationsinanemergency.com 

 

 

WoWFEST: Book Launch: Rhythms by Tony Wailey

Liverpool’s a laugh – but not always a happy place. Rhythms: Volume Three of the Diary of the Smyth Wailey’s brings that contradiction vividly to life, tracing a city shaped by movement, memory and the restless pull of the waterfront. Spanning generations, this powerful work weaves together intimate family stories with the wider social history of Liverpool, from the turmoil of the 1911 Transport Strike to the shifting tides of the twentieth century.

At its heart are lives marked by longing, loss and resilience: Nelly Flanagan’s desperate hope for a child amid war and hardship; decades later, her grandson John Paul confronting a very different dilemma in a changing world. These personal journeys echo the rhythms of a port city where global currents meet local lives, where dockers, seafarers and families navigate both solidarity and struggle.

Blending history, culture and lived experience, the book captures a Liverpool where art, music and rebellion are inseparable from everyday life. This launch event invites you to explore a city of contradictions—where sorrow and joy sit side by side, and where the past continues to pulse through the present.

Tony Wailey was born in Liverpool in 1947 and worked as a seafarer and construction worker before studying modern history, writing his thesis on Liverpool seamen. He later spent over 25 years advising mature students in universities and adult education before becoming a freelance writer.

He is the author of eight books, including novels and three poetry collections. His work explores the cosmopolitan nature of Liverpool as a maritime city, often focusing on migration, memory and family history. His recent books, Diary of the Smyth Waileys and Lights Bearing West examine the narratives of place and heritage, from the Liverpool waterfront to global settings shaped by the city’s seafaring connections.

Date: Tuesday 12th MayTime: 7pmVenue: Quaker Meeting House Liverpool, 22 School Lane, Liverpool, L1 3BT

Dark Reign Festival 2026

Future Yard are excited to welcome Dark Reign to host their heavy metal all-dayer in our live room.

First additions to the lineup are:

Ogun

An established 4-piece Trash Metal Liverpoool based band who have preformed a solid run of gigs across the UK.

The Five Hundred

Described as a formidable force in the British heavy metal scene, hail from the industrial heartland of Nottingham. Emerging in the early 2010s, the band quickly established themselves with a sound that blends the brutal intensity of metalcore with the intricate ferocity of djent and progressive metal.

Eschalon

A UK-based tech-metalcore band from Cambridge, founded by Simon Garrod and Miles Taylor. The band is known for its “visual and auditory onslaught” and debuted in late 2023. They blend dissonance with serenity and have released singles and albums, including “Helios” and “Delirium”.

Tickets on Sale now.

Action Against CCS: Music Night

Action Against CCS presents a night of music to bring the community together and raise funds to fight the Peak Cluster Pipeline.

They are joined by Paul Molloy (The Coral), Niamh Rowe (The Sundowners) and more.

Tickets on sale 25th March 2026.

WoWFEST: Comma Press presents The Monster, Capital

 

Comma Press presents The Monster, Capital with Ian Carrington, Kiare Ladner and Sarah Schofield chaired by Ra Page, a bold new anthology from the acclaimed Theory Horror series, edited by David Sue and Ra Page.

Inspired by the writings of philosopher Mark Fisher and his concept of Capitalist Realism, this collection imagines capitalism as something monstrous — an abstract parasite, a zombie-maker, a force that consumes, reshapes and haunts our lives. Drawing on folk horror, body horror and the surreal, thirteen writers explore algorithmic obsession, parasocial addiction, vanishing communities and the eerie logic of the market.

A gothic reckoning with late capitalism — unsettling, urgent and darkly imaginative.

Ian Carrington is a Manchester writer who, as ‘Fat Roland’, has enjoyed a long performance career. He co-compered live literature night Bad Language, twice voted the UK’s best regular spoken word event. He has written features and columns for Electronic Sound magazine and fiction for Comma Press.

Kiare Ladner is the author of Nightshift, a novel about obsession and nocturnal lives (Picador 2021; HarperCollins 2022). Her short fiction has been anthologised, commissioned for radio and shortlisted in competitions, including the BBC National Short Story Award. She teaches and mentors writers in London. She grew up in South Africa and now lives in London. www.kiareladner.com

Sarah Schofield is an award-winning writer of short fiction. Her stories have appeared in several Comma Press anthologies, Best British Short Stories 2020 (Salt), Synaesthesia Magazine,  Morning Star, Woman’s Weekly, Hinterland and many others.  Sarah is a Creative Writing lecturer at Edge Hill University.Her debut collection Safely Gathered In was published by Comma Press in November 2021

Date: Wednesday 6th MayTime: 7pmVenue:  The Black-E, 1 Great George Street, Liverpool, L1 5EW,Tickets: £5

 

LAAF Family Day 2026

 

Taking place on the final day of the Liverpool Arab Arts Festival on Sunday 26th July, the long-established LAAF Family Day is a celebratory showcase of Arab arts and culture.

Creating a moment of togetherness and community, Sefton Park’s Palm House will play host to a free afternoon of music, performance and authentic Arab culture, complemented by a range of stalls offering Arabic and Middle Eastern food, arts and crafts, traditional practices such as calligraphy and dance, as well as activities for children, including storytelling and workshops.

“The jewel in the festival’s crown, this free event has something for all the family” – The Guide Liverpool

 

LAAF 2026 presents Tamsin Elliott & Tarek Elazhary

Liverpool Arab Arts Festival presents the world premiere performance of the hugely anticipated second album from Tamsin Elliott (UK) and Tarek Elazhary (Egypt).

The album, currently untitled, is scheduled for release in September 2026. Together, Tamsin and Tarek explore the intriguing parallels and idiosyncrasies of Egyptian Maqam and English folk traditions in a captivating fusion of songs, tunes and textures, finding commonality, fostering cross-cultural connection and helping heal the scars of a colonial past through meaningful and conscious collaboration. 

Tamsin Elliott is a Bristol-based multi-instrumentalist, composer and filmmaker working primarily with English folk traditions, equally adept on fiddle, lever harp, and microtonal accordion. Alongside solo projects, she leads the genre-crossing ensembles Solana and Hedera,  and collaborates widely across folk and experimental music contexts.

Tarek Elazhary is an Egyptian composer, educator and oud player whose work centres on Arab musical traditions. Through performance, teaching and composition, he explores how these traditions can be sustained and developed in contemporary settings. He is the founder and leader of the ensemble Dokkan. 

For this Liverpool premiere, the string quartet will be the Ensemble of St Lukes, founded 34 years ago by members of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. The Ensemble give regular chamber recitals of western classical repertoire at the Music Room, and have previously collaborated with LAAF in 2023 on a performance with Syrian qanunist and composer Maya Youssef.

 

WoWFEST 2026: Desert Island Dissent with Linton Kwesi Johnson

 

Join legendary poet and activist Linton Kwesi Johnson for Desert Island Dissent — a powerful in-conversation event exploring art as a force for resistance.

In this special event, Johnson will consider the music, poetry and political works that have most profoundly shaped his life and activism. Drawing on his experiences of 1970s Britain, the rise of the National Front and the cultural resistance that followed, he will reflect on the moments that forged his voice and defined decades of struggle.

From dub poetry to political literature, the evening will explore the enduring power of creative expression to confront injustice, challenge dominant narratives and inspire collective action. At a time when old ideologies are resurfacing and reactionary politics are gaining ground, Johnson’s perspective offers a vital reminder that culture can provoke change — and that resistance has its own soundtrack.

An evening of reflection, performance and urgent conversation with one of the most influential political voices of our time.

Linton Kwesi Johnson

The award-winning reggae poet and political activist was born in Jamaican 1952 before moving to London in 1963. He studied at Goldsmiths College, was a member of the Black Panthers and was poetry editor of Race Today, introducing new voices to the British public, including Michael Smith and Oku Onuora. In 1974, the Race Today Collective published Linton’s first poetry book, Voices of the Living and the Dead.  

In 2002 he became only the second living poet and the first black poet to have his work included in Penguin’s Modern Classics series, under the title Mi Revalueshanary Fren. Penguin continue to publish him, now in their Selected Poems series.  

Linton’s first album Dread Beat An Blood was released in 1978. Since then, he has released fourteen albums made with long-time collaborator and producer, Dennis Bovell, and has been running his own record label, LKJ Records, since 1981. He is also a Trustee of the George Padmore Institute and Chair of 198 Contemporary Arts and Learning.

Venue: The British Music Experience, British Music Experience, Cunard Building, Pier Head, Liverpool, L3 1DS 

Photo Credit: Danny Da Costa

WoWFEST 2026: An Evening with Colm Tóibín

 

Don’t miss this special opportunity to hear from one of the most celebrated writers of our time, Colm Tóibín, in conversation with Professor Frank Shovlin.

Tóibín will discuss his striking new short story collection, The News from Dublin — a profound and deeply moving sequence of stories that span continents and generations, from wartime Ireland to Barcelona, Argentina and beyond. Moving between lives marked by exile, secrecy and loss, these luminous narratives explore family ties, displacement, and the enduring pull of home and memory.

Born in Enniscorthy in 1955, Tóibín is the author of acclaimed novels and short story collections including The Empty Family, Brooklyn, The Master, The Magician and Long Island. A three-time Booker Prize finalist, he has also received the David Cohen Prize for Literature, served as Laureate for Irish Fiction (2022–2024), and was Chancellor of the University of Liverpool until 2017.

He will be joined by Frank Shovlin, Professor of Irish Literature at the University of Liverpool’s Institute of Irish Studies, and an acclaimed critic and editor, known for his work on Joyce and John McGahern, including The Letters of John McGahern (Faber & Faber) and the forthcoming biography John McGahern: A Writing Life.

Venue:  The Black-E, 1 Great George Street, Liverpool, L1 5EW

Tickets: Book and ticket bundle: £28, ticket only: £12/£10 concessions